Rail bond



y 5, 3 P. P. PIPE$ 2.

RAIL BUND Filed Jan. 29, 1927 W TNE Fig.

' more flexible members 1 and Patented July 5, 1932 g1 TEE FFlCE PLINY P. PIPES, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, .ASSIG'NOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF

MANSFIELD, OHIO, A

CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY RAIL BOND Application filed January 29, 1927. Serial No. 164,488.

My invention relates to rail bonds and to that class of rail bonds intended for application to the rail by welding.

The object of my invention is to provide 5 a bond which is simple, cheap and economical in manufacture and which is easy and economical in application, and which is high- 1y eflicient, both mechanically and electrically.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the various parts herein disclosed and shown in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of one of the terminals.

Fig. 4 is a view of one terminal taken on 20the line 4'4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view in partial section of the bond terminal positioned on a rail base ready for attachment.

Fig. 6 is a view of a terminal similar to but before the cables have been attached thereto.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I employ two main parts, namely; a body member which is composed of one or terminal members 2 secured to the ends of the body member or members. The body portion is preferably composed of stranded copper cable and the terminal members are composed of ferrous material, such as drop forging of steel, malleable iron casting or sheet steel formed up into the required shape. The terminal members may, however, be made of a copper base casting or of forged copper, but the ferrous terminals are preferable, as I find that the welding metal used in attaching the bonds tothe rails forms a stronger mechanical union with steel or iron than it does with a copper or copper alloy terminal.-

The attaching metal may be of pure copper, copper alloy, such as copper and tin, copper and aluminum, copper. and zinc, etc., and these may contain a fiuxing material, such as phosphorous, manganese, silicon, etc.

The terminal member comprises an upstanding wall 3 positioned on three sides of the terminal and so arranged, when applied to the rail base, to form with the vertical edge thereof a receptacle closed on the four sides. Projecting from the ends of the wall 3 are lugs 4 arranged to overlap and rest upon the upper surface of the rail base. Projecting from the terminal and forming a part thereof is a sleeve portion 5 provided with passages 6 arranged in pairs and each passage 6 adapted to receive a body member 1. Each pair of passages might be said to constitute a duplex passage, for the reason that the two passages 6, which form a pair, are not entirely separated, but are open along their adjacent side.

In the construction shown in the drawing,

there are shown two pair or two duplex passages separated by a. partition 7 This partition tends to join the upper and lower walls of the projecting member 5 and prevent them spreading where there are two or more duplex passages used, thereby giving a construction in which the body members are securely gripped and held.

The passages 6 are originally made distorted, as shown in Fig. 6, in order towiden the sameto receive the ends of the body members, and after the members have been posi tioned within the passages 6 the walls are squeezed together and into close engagement with the body members, thereby securing a mechanical grip upon the body members, as shown in Fig. 4.

Projecting from themember 5 is a member 8, which is adapted to engage the lower face of the base of the rail, thereby assisting in positioning the bond on the rail before secured thereto by welding. The lugs 4: and 8 may be made to engage and grip'the rail base rather snugly or they may be so constructed as to form a loosehold upon the rail base, as in either casetheir intent is to temporarily hold the bond in place until welded. The lugs l, however, perform an additional function, in that in combination with the upper surface of the railthey form a receptacle for the welding metal and permit an increased area of attachment between the welding metal and the rail, namely; the vertical and upper surfaces of the rail base within the confines of the wall 3 and lugs 4-.

I prefer to form the projecting portion 5 with its axis X disposed at an acute angle to the lower surface of the rail base or line Y and projecting in a direction to underlie the base of the rail, as this then throws the body members 1 underneath the base of the rail, where they are protected from mechanical injury due to moving objects, and are not so easily gotten at by thieves in attempting to remove the bonds from the rail, as the most common way of removing the bonds is to place a lever in the loop of the bond and to pry it ofi the rail.

When the members 4 and 8 engage the base tightly, they assist materially in holding the bond in place against malicious removal when attempted.

The ends of the body members project within the receptacle referred to, and when the receptacle is filled with molten metal, it will molecularly unite not only with the end of the body member 1, but with the inner surfaces of the walls 3 and 4 and the surfaces of the rail base within the confines of the receptacle. The welding metal will, therefore, unite the said parts each to the other, both mechanically and electrically, but, as the bond member is rigidly and mechanically held to the terminal by means of the portion 5, the joint between the copper body 1 and the attaching metal is doubly assured. As already pointed out, the joint between the copper, made by fusing, is likely to be more or less porous, and, therefore, Weak mechanically, but with the construction shown there is no strain upon the joint between the body memher and the welding metal, for the reason that the terminal securely grips the body member and the welding metal is merely united to the terminal member.

The fact that the terminal member is of steel does not detract from the electrical efficiency of the joint, for the reason that the body member is united to the rail through the medium of a copper base metal, which is molecularly united to both the body member and the rail and is of sufficient carrying capacity for the purpose.

There are, of course, modifications which can be made from those shown, and Wlll readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, therefore, I do not wish to be limited other than by my claims.

I claim: 1. A rail bond comprising a body member and a metalhc terminal member secured together, the terminal member consisting of an upstanding wall surrounding the exposed face of the body member on substantially three sides, projections from the ends of the wall to overhang the upper surface of the rail base and form therewith a receptacle to catch, support and retain welding metal in the molten state to unite the body, terminal and rail each to the other, a sleeve portion surrounding and gripping the end of the body leaving the end face exposed within the confines of the wall and holding the axis of the gripped portion of the body member at an acute angle to the plane of the lower surface of the rail base, the said sleeve projecting towards and underneath the rail base and means on the sleeve to engage the lower face of the rail base.

2. A rail bond comprising a body member and a metallic terminal member secured together, the terminal member consisting of an upstanding wall surrounding the exposed face of the body member on substantially three sides, projections from the wall to engage and overhang the upper surface of the rail base and form therewith a receptacle to catch, support and retain molten attaching metal and a sleeve portion surrounding and gripping the end of the body member and projecting downwardly and towards the rail base and positioned underneath the base when the bond is in position.

3. A. bond terminal comprising a sleeve member having a pair of parallel passages therethrough and communicating along one edge and each adapted to receive a conductor" and to be squeezed into engagement therewith, upstanding walls to form three sides of a receptacle, partly surrounding the passage openings at one end and projections from the ends of the wall to overlap and enthe upper surface of a rail base, the longitudinal axes of the passages being at an acuteangle to the lower surface of the rail base when the terminal is in position on said base.

4. A bond terminal comprising a sleeve member having a pair of parallel passages therethrough and communicating along one edge and each adapted to receive a conductor and to be squeezed into engagement therewith, upstanding walls to form three sides of a receptacle, partly surrounding the passage openings at one end and projections from the ends of the wall to overlap and .engage the upper surface of arail base, the longitudinal axes of the passages being at an acute angle to the lower face of the rail base when the terminal is in place on said base and means on the sleeve to engage and underlap the lower face of the rail base.

5. A bond terminal comprising a sleeve portion having a pair of duplex passages therethrough to receive and to be squeezed into engagement with conductors, a wall between and separating the duplex passages and an upstanding wall projecting from the sleeve portion to form a receptacle and into which the duplex passages open, projections from the wall to overlap a rail base and form a receptacle with the upper face thereof.

6. A bond terminal having means to grip and hold a conductor, means projecting from the first said means to form with a rail face a receptacle for molten attaching metal in contact with the conductor, and a plurality of spaced and oppositely disposed projecting means to grip the rail to hold the terminal in place and form a receptacle with the rail for molten attaching metal, said conductor gripping and holding means having a passage therethrough to receive the conductor, the axial line of said passage being directed beneath said rail to project the conductor beneath the rail base.

7. A terminal member for a rail bond having means for positioning said terminal upon a rail and having meansfor gripping a conductor with the axis of the gripped portion of said conductor at an oblique angle to the lower face of the rail and with said conductor extending inwardly beneath said rail.

8. A terminal member for a rail bond having means thereon for temporarily supporting said terminal member upon a base flange of a rail and having a socket therein for receiving the end of a conductor, said socket having the axis thereof inclined inwardly and downwardly at an acute angle to the lower face of said rail base when said termi nal member is supported on said base.

9. A terminal member for a rail bond havmeans for supporting said member on the base flange of a rail, said member having a socket therein for receiving the end of aconductor, the axis of said socket being inclined inwardly and downwardly at an acute angle to the lower face of said base flange when said terminal member is supported on said base flange, said terminal member having upwardly extending walls forming with said rail base a receptacle about the upper end of said socket to catch, support and retain welding metal.

10. A terminal member for a rail bond having a socket member therein for receiving the end of a conductor, a projection on said terminal member arranged to engage the lower face of the base flange of a rail and hold said socket at an acute angle to the lower face of said base flange, said terminal member having a retainer projecting upwardly and inwardly to engage the upper face of the base flange and support said terminal member on said base flange.

11. The combination with a railway rail of a conductor and a terminal member formed separately from said conductor and secured thereto for connecting said conductor to said rail, the end of said conductor being secured to said terminal member and having a portion thereof extending into and gripped by said terminal member, said portion being disposed at an acute angle to the lower face of said rail with the conductor extending inwardly beneath said rail.

12. A rail bond comprising a conductor and a terminal member secured to the end of said conductor, said terminal member having a socket into which a portion of the end of said conductor extends, said socket and the conductor therein being bent transversely to the axis of said conductor for directing said conductor about a portion of a rail to which said bond is secured.

13. A rail bond comprising a conductor and a terminal member, said terminal member having a socket into which said conductor extends, said socket and conductor therein being bent transversely to the axis of said conductor to direct said conductor about a portion of a rail to which said bond is attached, and means secured to said terminal member for gripping a portion of said rail to hold the bent portion of said terminal memher in place on said rail.

14. The combination with a rail having a base flange, of a bond attached to said rail, said bond comprising a conductor and a terminal member, said terminal member having a socket into which the end portion of said conductor extends, said conductor being disposed beneath said flange, said socket and the portion of the conductor therein being bent upwardly adjacent the edge of said flange to direct the end of said conductor upwardly in position to receive attaching metal, and means secured to said terminal member for engaging the upper face of said flange to hold a portion of said terminal member which is beneath said flange against the lower face of said flange.

15. A terminal member for a rail bond having a socket portion for receiving the end of a conductor, said socket portion being bent relative to the remainder of said terminal member and arranged to underlie the lower face of the base flange of a rail, said terminal member having a retainer projecting upwardly and inwardly to engage the upper face of the base flange and support said terminal member on said base flange.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PLINY P. PIPES. 

